Edtjardo samper



(No Model.)

, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. SAMPER. MACHINE FOR BXTRAGTING FIBER FROMAGAVVES, &c.

No. 524,956. Patented Aug. 21, 1894.

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ESAMPER. MACHINE POR BXTRAGTING FIBER FROM AGAVBS, m. No. 524,956.Patented Aug. 21, 1894.

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UNITED STATES EDUARDO sAMPnR,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF PARIS, FRANCE.

MACHINE FVOR EXTRACTING FIBERFROM AGAVES, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,956, dated August21, 1894.

Applioation filed December 8, 1893. Serial No. 493,182. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, EDUARDO SAMPER, a citizen of Bogota, in the Republicot Colombia, and a resident of Paris, in the Republic of France, haveinvented a new or Improved Machine for Extracting Fiber from Agaves,Aloes, and other Similar Plants, of which the following is aspecication.

My invention relates to a new machine for extracting fibrous matter fromagaves, aloes and other similar plants and is intended as a substitutefor the apparatuses at present in use and which as a rule are verycomplicated, too expensive and requiringa moving power out of proportionwith their yield, thus rendering them unfit for being used by smallgrowers. t y

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, I refer tothe annexed drawings, in which- Figure l illustrates a side view of myapparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view partly sectional of thesliding plate J, and

Fig. 3 a front view of Fig. 2.

In all the figures, the same letters indicate corresponding parts.

A is an iron or .wooden frame.

II isa cast-iron frame holding a sliding plate J moving vertically ingrooves by means of an eccentric lever N. The sliding plate J is fittedwith a horizontal blade P which on being brought down to its lowestposition, is situated at about one millimeters distance from anotherhorizontal blade Q parallel to it and resting on an elastic stand orseat R made of india rubber or consisting of a flexible plate, aspringer the like. This blade Q slides vertically in a groove wherein itis held loosely by means of screws S, so that by strongly pressing onits upper rounded part this blade Q yields and is lowered verticallyaccording to the pressure applied. The upper portion of the slidingplate has the shape of a pulley frame, crossed by a bolt bearing a smallfriction rollerU running in the openingVcut in the eccentric lever N.This eccentric lever serves to move the sliding plate upward anddownward. It is easy to see as in Fig. l that when the lever N is in theposition reprehighest and when the lever is in the position representedby the dotted lines it is at its lowest which is the result of themovement of the friction roller U in the opening V.

In Fig. l I have illustrated by dottedlines the lowest position of theleverN and in Vthat position the part X of the eccentric lever restsupon the upper side of the sliding plate J which has been brought downto its lowest position. The result is that any eltort to raise thesliding plate is powerlessto move the latter, the upper side of whichstrikes against the part X.

Y is a drum keyed on an axleZand resting on two bearings a a tlxed atthe end of two arms b b.

G is a crank.

The drum Y must be placed so that its up per part shall be in the sameplane or nearly so as the lower part of the sliding plate J, when thislatter is in its lowest position. The drum Y is arranged so as to causethe leaf of the plant d to adhere to its circumference in order tosubmit it to the action of the sliding plate J. ting the periphery ofthe drum and in folding up a certain portion of the said peripherytoward the center of the drum as shown by the curved line f g (Fig. l)producing at the same time an opening e. Ablock orbrake h movable aroundan axle i is held by a spring j against the lower part g of the curve.

k is a lever fixed upon the axle 1l keyed on a projection placed in theinside ot the drum Y, to allow of removing the block h at will from thesurface corresponding tog.

If any fibrous matter ol is introduced into the free space e until thesefibers descend between point gand point h, that is, in the openingproduced between these two surfaces when the block h is moved outward bythe lever 7c, and if the lever la is released, the force imparted to theblock by the spring raises the latter which adheres to the portion g,produc- 4ing such a pressure that if at that moment This arrangementconsists in cut? IDO follows: I begin`to cut up the leaves to bedecorticated into longitudinal strips by means.

of cutters or any other suitable means. I then submit the leaves bytaking them of course by hand each strip separately to the action of anycorrugated cylinders such as are commonly used which begin to soften andatten out the leaves and then place each of them thus crushed on theblade Q between the cheeks o 0 of aperture m, fi. e. under sliding plateJ. This being done I draw out the leaf lengthwise and introduce thebroader end into the opening e of the drum Y till it is seized by theblock h. Afterward I draw back the lever N and the rounded blade P" thenpresses on the strips d d. I rotate the drum ingthe direction of thearrow 3, (Fig. l) said drum carrying along with it the strip or leaf andthe pressure effected by both blades P andQ being regularized by theelastic fi-tting and combined with the traction ofthe drum, suiiices torid the fiber of the parenchyma and all other substances withoutbreaking the ber. After the end of the brous strip has come out of thejaws P and Q, Ifrevolve the drum in the opposite direction in order toeffect its unrolling and Ifmove thev lever k removing the block h` andthe fibrous strip is thus liberated. If. I wish to `economize theI rawmaterial I pass my strip over again in the opposite direction in orderto rid the other end of the substances still adhering to it. I proceedin the same way for every strip to be unlibered and I thus obtain b'erswhich have only to be subjected to the a shaft in said drum,a brake honsaid axle, v

and a spring j for holding the brake against the lip fg, combined with asliding lpla-te J having an edge plate P, a second plate Q, an elasticor yieldingsupport Rffor the said plate 1Q, and an actuating lever formoving. `theplate .I to carry the edge. plate P to and from the plate Q,substantially as described.

EDUARDO 'SAMPERl Witnesses:

C. H. CONAILLON, C. DEGRANGE.`

